Touch Of Grey
by autumnrose2010
Summary: Sequel to 'Blue Skies.' Data has everything he ever could have hoped for: a human body, a loving wife, two beautiful children, and his own starship. Then a sinister figure from his past returns and threatens to take it all away.
1. Jedediah

_A/N: In this story, Data and Tasha are married, and Data has finally achieved his dream of becoming completely human. They are the parents of a human daughter, Lal, and Tasha is also the mother of an adult daughter, Sela.  
_

"Did you feel that?" Tasha asked her three-year-old daughter. Lal nodded, her blue eyes dancing with excitement and her medium-brown pigtails bouncing, as she touched her mother's swollen abdomen.

"That was your baby brother kicking his foot," Tasha told her.

Lal's eyes grew large. "Did it hurt you, Mommy?"

"Oh, no, not at all."

"When will he get born so I can play with him?"

"Very soon now. My body will give me a signal when it's time for him to be born. Then your daddy and I will go to visit Dr. Pulanski in sickbay and she will help the new baby to come out of me, and then you can see him."

Lal looked confused. Dr. Pulanski and sickbay were for when you were sick.

"Don't worry, sweetie. Everything's going to be just fine. I'll only be there for a couple of days, and Trina will be here to take care of you while I'm there."

"How does the baby get out?"

"Mommies have a special opening in their bodies that the baby comes out through. It's close to where your pee-pee comes out."

"Does it hurt when the baby comes out?"

"Getting the baby to come out is hard work, but once it's out, you're so happy to see it that you forget all about how hard it was."

Lal looked thoughtful. "Will I have a baby growing inside me too when I'm a grown-up, Mommy?"

Tasha laughed. "You probably will some day, Lal, after you grow up and get married."

Lal heard footsteps outside the door and instantly jumped up from the sofa and ran to it. "Daddy!"

Data opened the door and scooped his daughter up into his arms. She laughed and hugged his neck, and he kissed her forehead. "How's my princess doing?"

"Daddy, Mommy let me feel the baby kick."

"Wow, that was pretty special, wasn't it?"

"Uh-huh."

Tasha rose to greet her husband, and he hugged and kissed her. "Are you all right, hon?" he asked gently.

Tasha nodded. "Just a little tired, is all." She rested her head on his shoulder.

"Aww." He kissed her again and rubbed her back. "What smells so good?"

"Mommy made spaghetti!" Lal exclaimed.

"Mm, my favorite." Data took Tasha's hand and they walked into the kitchen together.

"Someone is definitely eager to be a big sister," Data chuckled later that night when he and Tasha were alone.

"She's such a compassionate and caring child," Tasha commented. "I hope she stays that way."

"I'm sure she will. She has a lot of her mother in her."

"She has a lot of you in her too, Data. I can see it all the time."

Data grinned. "What can I say?"

Tasha put her hand on her back and grimaced.

"Back been bothering you again, hon?"

Tasha nodded. "All day long."

"Looks like it's time for another massage, then."

Tasha lay on her side on the bed, and Data began to gently knead her shoulders. He always started there and worked his way down.

"Ahh, that feels heavenly," Tasha sighed.

* * *

A few nights later she felt it, and a flutter of excitement went through her.

"It's time," she told Data.

"Are you sure?"

"I've been through this twice before," she reminded him.

"Better call Trina then. Are you sure you have everything packed and ready?"

"It has been for days."

Tasha quickly called her friend Trina to come and stay with Lal, and she and Data headed for sickbay.

Tasha labored through the rest of that night and the next morning. Data was right beside her the whole time, holding her hand, stroking her forehead, and feeding her ice chips.

It was sometime around noon when the contractions intensified, and Tasha knew that the birth was eminent. Data spoke gently to her, helping her to relax and concentrate on her breathing, as she felt her child begin to emerge from her body. Several more pushes and their son was there, red and wrinkled and squalling.

Data cut his umbilical cord and gently placed him on his mother's chest.

"Hello there, little one," Tasha said, gently stroking his fine, soft skin.

Data stood beside her, beaming. "I know someone who's very eager to meet you," he told his new son.

"Better go call her," Tasha chuckled.

"In a minute," Data promised. He wanted to just stay there and watch Tasha and their son for a little while longer.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Trina brought Lal to visit. The little girl's eyes grew wide with wonder when she saw her mother holding her new baby brother. Tasha felt a gentle tugging at her heart as she realized how much she had missed Lal, even though it had been less than a day since the last time she had seen her.

Lal addressed her father first.

"Hi, Daddy!" Lal ran to Data, and he hugged her.

"Come meet your new baby brother, Lal," Data said. "His name is Jedediah, but we're going to call him 'Jed' for short. That means 'beloved', just like your name does."

Lal walked to the bedside of her mother, who looked pale and tired but happy. She looked into baby Jed's tiny face and held her finger up to him. "Hi, Jed," she said. He turned his blue eyes to look at her and grabbed her finger with his tiny fist.

"Look, Mommy, he likes me!"

"Of course he does, sweetie. You're his big sister."

Lal turned to grin at Data, who grinned back at her.

Data left that night to stay with Lal.

"I'll see you two in the morning," he said as he gently kissed the top of little Jed's head and then kissed Tasha's lips.

"Goodbye," Tasha said, clinging to him as if reluctant to let go, although she knew Lal needed him at home.

"I love you." He gave Tasha a squeeze, and she knew that he was reluctant to leave her as well.

"Not as much as I love you." She smiled, and Data shook his head and laughed.

The next morning, Data and Lal arrived after breakfast.

"Hi, honey. Did you have a good night?" Tasha asked Lal.

Lal nodded. "Daddy read me a bedtime story."

"That's nice. He's a good story teller, isn't he?"

Lal nodded.

Dr. Pulanski gave them some instructional booklets, and then the family headed home together.

Almost as soon as they were inside their quarters, Jed began to fuss. Tasha sat on the sofa and opened her shirt.

Lal watched Tasha nurse the baby. "This is how he eats," Tasha explained to her. "My body makes milk for him to drink and this is how he gets it out."

"Did I drink milk like that too when I was a baby?"

"You did indeed, Lal."

Soon Jed needed a diaper change.

"What's that thing on him?" Lal wanted to know.

"That's what he pee-pees with. The way little boys pee-pee is a little bit different from the way little girls pee-pee."

Lal looked down at her own body and then back at her baby brother's.

Soon it was time for Jed to settle down for a nap. Lal yawned.

"Somebody else sounds pretty sleepy, too," Tasha said with a smile.

Lal was soon settled down for her own nap. Data and Tasha stood with their arms around each other watching their children sleep.

"Why don't you take a nap too? You look like you could use one," Data told his wife.

"Sounds like a great idea to me." Gently she kissed one child on the cheek and then the other before doing as her husband had suggested. Data sat on the bed beside her and gently rubbed her back until she was asleep.


	2. Assuming Command

One day soon after Jed's birth, Data was walking down a corridor when he saw Captain Picard and Commander Madden just standing and smiling at him. He looked at them with curiosity.

"Big news, Data," said Captain Picard. "After all these years I have finally decided to retire."

Data turned to Commander Madden. "Congratulations, sir."

"I have accepted the position of Captain, but not on the _Enterprise," _Madden told him. "With the promotion I will be transferring to a different starship."

"But who will be the new Captain of the _Enterprise_ then?" Data was baffled.

"Congratulations, Mr. Data." Picard smiled and patted Data's arm. "I know you'll do an excellent job."

"Me?" Data was so surprised that he merely mouthed the words. No actual sound came from him.

"You're the logical choice, Data, and no none has worked harder than you or deserves it more than you do."

"But, sir, I've never even served as first officer before..."

Picard patted Data's shoulder reassuringly. "Relax, Data. No one will expect you to know everything at once. You will receive several weeks of intense training in all areas of starship control before the Commander and I leave."

* * *

"I bring exciting news, Tasha," Data announced when he arrived home that evening. "I've been offered the position of Captain of the _Enterprise. _Captain Picard is retiring, and Commander Madden has been offered the position of Captain on another starship."

"Wow, Data, how exciting!" Tasha held a sleeping Jed in one arm as she came to kiss her husband hello. "When do you start?"

"It won't be for a while yet. Since I've never even served as a first officer before, I must have several weeks of intense training first."

"You'll do fine, honey. I know you will."

"Thank you for believing in me, Tasha."

"Why shouldn't I? You've always come through before!"

* * *

"Why, thank you, Data. I am deeply honored," Geordi said.

"There's no one else I'd rather have as my first officer," Data told him.

"Wow, that's a big step up for both of us. What does Tasha have to say about it?"

"She's very excited and happy, and keeps telling me how proud she is of me."

"I knew that this opportunity would come your way some day, although to be honest I'm surprised that you didn't have to serve a stint as first officer beforehand. Wow, things are really looking up for you, Data! First a new son, and now your own starship!"

"You're not jealous of me, are you, Geordi?"

"Of course not, Data! After all you've been through, how could I be?"

* * *

The next several weeks did indeed prove to be among the most challenging of Data's life. Although his android brain could have absorbed the information in a fraction the amount of time it was taking his human brain, he wouldn't have traded places with his former self for anything in the world.

At last came the day the Captain and Commander Madden felt that he was ready to take full command of the _Enterprise. _Tasha threw him a surprise party to which all the crew members came, and everyone congratulated him and told him how happy they were for him.

It was several weeks later that Data received a hail from another starship and was truly shocked to recognize a face on his viewscreen which he had never expected to see again in his lifetime.


	3. Trouble

"Hello, Data," said Kivas Fajo. "Long time no see, aye?"

"How did you escape from custody?" demanded Data.

"That's not important," said Kivas. "What's important is that I'm now free to retrieve all my valuable collectibles that were taken from me, including you."

"But I'd be of no value to you now," Data told him. "I'm no longer an android. I've become human."

"Impossible." Kivas snorted. "How could an android become human? You have to be _born _human to be human!"

"Look at my eyes," said Data. "They're blue. They're not yellow anymore."

"I'm not impressed," said Kivas. "Major advances have been made in the manufacturing of more realistic-appearing android eyes in the years since I last saw you."

"Nevertheless, as I said, I am now fully human," Data insisted. "If you care to check, you'll find that I have a temperature, blood pressure, pulse, and normal reflexes."

"I don't care to check, because there's no need to," Kivas replied. "You're still the same sentient android I had in my collection all those years ago, and you will now once again be part of my collection."

"You cannot force me to come with you if I refuse," said Data.

"But I have confidence that you will not refuse," said Kivas. "Behind that door is a captive of mine. I believe you know her quite well." He opened a door to the side.

"Usher the prisoner in," he commanded. A shackled and obviously very frightened Tasha was shoved into the room with Kivas. Data felt his adrenalin surge.

"In my hand I hold an object capable of administering a very painful electric shock," Kivas continued. "I will demonstrate." He pointed the object at Tasha.

"No!" Data screamed, jumping to his feet.

Kivas chuckled. "I knew we'd be able to reach an agreement."

* * *

"Where's Daddy?" asked Lal, coming into the nursery where Tasha had just finished feeding Jed and placed him on her shoulder to burp him. "I want to show him this picture I drew." She showed her mother a childlike scrawl that was obviously meant to represent Data at the helm of the _Enterprise._

"That's a lovely picture, sweetheart," said Tasha. "I believe your Daddy's on the bridge right now. Let's go check and see, all right?"

As she approached the bridge, she heard what sounded like Data screaming. Suddenly anxious, she hurried to where she expected to find him. He was not there.

"Computer, location of Captain Data."

"Captain Data is not aboard the ship. He has just beamed aboard the _Jovis-B."_

"The _Jovis-B? _What in the world?" Tasha frowned, puzzled. "And why didn't he tell me he was going?"

* * *

"That was a very clever ruse, to use a holographic simulation of my wife to trick me into boarding your ship," Data said crossly.

"Clever indeed." Kivas rubbed his hands together, pleased with himself. "I amaze even myself sometimes. Now to retrieve the Mona Lisa. It's still in that museum in France on Earth, I believe. I'll check there first."

"You'll never get away with this," Data said through his teeth. "My Commander and Lieutenant Commanders won't give up until they find me."

Kivas laughed. "Maybe they will, in a couple hundred years or so."


	4. Journey To Earth

Tasha went to engineering, hoping to find Geordi there. She wasn't disappointed.

"Hi, Tasha." Geordi glanced up briefly, then returned to what he'd been doing.

"Did Data mention anything to you about beaming aboard the _Jovis-B?" _asked Tasha.

"The _Jovis-B?" _Geordi was obviously shaken.

"What's wrong?" Tasha was immediately alarmed.

"The _Jovis _was the starship owned by the Zibalian trader Kivas Fajo," Geordi told her. "He kidnapped Data because he wanted to add him to his collection of rare and valuable objects."

"Oh, no!" Tasha exclaimed. "Now he's got Data again!" She began to sob hysterically. Geordi held her and tried to comfort her.

"They can't have gone very far," he reasoned. "We'll find them soon. It's going to be all right."

* * *

Data sat in the chair Kivas had forced him to occupy as the _Jovis-B _traveled toward Earth. He'd come so far, and now _this _had had to happen. Tears filled his eyes as he thought of Tasha, Lal, and Jed. Would he ever see them again?

At last the _Jovis-B _was within Earth's atmosphere, hovering over the Louvre museum in Paris, France. Kivas strode back and forth, his eyes glowing with evil, rubbing his hands together in glee.

"Ha ha! Beautiful Mona Lisa, you shall soon be mine once again!" he chortled. "Now to deactivate your positronic brain so that you don't run off on me while I'm making my next acquisition," he added, approaching Data.

"I don't have a positronic brain anymore," Data told him. "As I told you before, I have a human brain now."

Kivas carefully examined Data all over, even forcing him to remove all his clothing. "I just can't find that switch _anywhere," _he complained. "No matter. I'll just take you along with me, then."

Kivas and Data beamed down to Earth, where Kivas used his sophisticated tools to break into the museum in the dead of night. Stealthily they made their way inside, where Kivas beamed his flashlight along the walls, searching for the work of art he desired. He'd just trained his flashlight on it when they heard the shouting of the guards.

"Freeze! Hands over your heads!"

Kivas attempted to sneak furtively away. Shots rang out. Kivas fell dead. Data was handcuffed and taken to prison.

* * *

"But I don't have any idea where to even _start _looking!" Tasha moaned.

"Since we know that Kivas is a collector, we can assume that he's in search of the valuables that were previously taken from him and returned to their rightful owners," said Geordi. "I remember Data mentioning several valuables from Earth he saw on board the _Kivas."_

"But Earth is such a huge planet that looking for him there would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack!" Tasha wailed.

"Have no fear," said Geordi. "I have a pretty good idea of where to start."


	5. Finding Data

"I sure hope you're right," Tasha told Geordi as the _Enterprise _reached Earth and hovered over Paris, France.

"Of _course _I'm right," Geordi replied with a smile.

After ensuring that both children were safely in Trina's care, Tasha beamed down to Paris with Geordi. Immediately they saw that there had been a recent disturbance at the Louvre.

"What did I tell you?" Geordi said triumphantly.

"What happened?" Tasha asked a nearby guard.

"Who are you?" the guard demanded, glaring at her.

"Tasha Yar of the _U.S.S. Enterprise," _she told him.

"There was a break-in at the Louvre," the guard told her. "Two men attempted to steal the Mona Lisa and were apprehended. One was shot and the other was arrested."

"Oh, no!" Tasha began to sob.

"Don't jump to conclusions," Geordi gently chided her. "We don't _know _that one of the men was Data."

"But of _course _it was!" Tasha exclaimed. "Kivas wanted the Mona Lisa back, and he forced Data to go along with him in stealing it again!"

"What happened to the man who was shot?" Geordi asked the guard.

"The body was taken to the morgue, of course," the guard told him.

"And what of the man who was arrested?"

"In jail awaiting arraignment."

"Let's go!" Geordi said to Tasha. They took a cab to the city morgue.

"I...don't think I can go in there," Tasha stammered outside the morgue's entrance.

"I'll go in and look for you," Geordi volunteered.

Tasha awaited his return impatiently, pacing back and forth like a caged animal. She didn't think she could bear it if Geordi returned with the news that Data's body was inside the morgue.

At last Geordi reappeared, his face bearing its usual calm, collected expression.

"There was a body brought in a few hours ago," he told Tasha. "I had a look at it, and it definitely isn't Data."

"Thank God!" Tasha's body sagged with relief.

"Next stop is the jail," Geordi said. They called another cab to take them to the city jail, where they asked if Data was incarcerated there.

After Geordi and Tasha had provided proof of their identities, the warden led them to a cell, where they saw Data huddled in a corner looking dejected. His eyes lit up when he saw them, and he stood and walked to the bars.

"How are the children?" he asked Tasha.

"They're both fine," she told him. "What happened?"

"Kivas used a holographic simulation of you to trick me into beaming aboard the _Jovis-B," _Data told her. "As soon as I did, he imprisoned me again, then headed for Earth to reclaim the Mona Lisa. The police showed up and pointed guns at us and told us not to move. Kivas tried to sneak away, so they shot him. Then they arrested me and brought me here."

"Can't I post bail?" Tasha asked the warden.

"You can," he told her. "But he must remain within the city of Paris until his trial, which will be several weeks from now. Otherwise it will be forfeited."

"I don't even care about that," Tasha said, tears of relief rushing to her eyes. "I just want my husband out of this place. We don't mind having to stay in Paris for a few weeks. It's a pleasant city, one of the most pleasant on Earth."


	6. Paris

Tasha posted the bail money, and Data was released from his cell. Eagerly she held him close, so very happy to see him alive and safe. He hugged her back, elated just to be with her again. Within moments they were joined by Lal and Jed.

"Daddy!" Lal cried, running into Data's arms.

"Sweetie!" Data laughed with joy as he held his daughter tight. Tasha handed him the baby, and he held one child in each arm.

"Where did you go, Daddy?" asked Lal.

"A bad man tricked me into beaming aboard his starship and kept me as a prisoner," Data told her.

"Wow, you must have been scared!"

"I was _very _scared, Lal," Data told his daughter. "I was absolutely terrified that I'd never see you or your brother or your mother again."

"We're all together now, sweetheart. That's all that matters," Tasha said softly.

"And we're in Paris!" Data exclaimed jubilantly. "Let's go see all there is to see!"

They went as high as they possibly could in the Eiffel Tower. Data knew that, in his android body, he could easily have gone to the very top, but he wouldn't trade the life he had now for anything in the world. Next they visited the Palace of Versailles, where they saw portraits of all the French royal families of the past.

"Who's that little girl?" asked Lal, pointing to one of the portraits.

"Her name was Marie-Therese Charlotte," Tasha told her daughter. "Her parents were King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette, so she was a princess. When she was only a few years older than you are now, there was a revolution. Marie-Therese's parents were killed, and she and her little brother lost their home and had to live somewhere else."

"Oh, Mommy, that's so sad!" Lal exclaimed.

"Yes, it was very sad," Tasha agreed.

The family ate lunch, then strolled around the Tulieries Garden looking at all the beautiful flowers, then went to the Musee d'Orsay museum. Later Data took them all out to a fancy Parisian restaurant for dinner, and then they checked into a motel for the night. Tasha nursed Jed until he was asleep, and Data read Lal a bedtime story and tucked her in.

Data finished first and was lying in bed naked with a wide grin on his face when Tasha entered the bedroom. She gasped, then giggled. "It's pretty obvious what _you_ want," she said, gazing at his erect member.

"And you're going to give it to me, aren't you?" he asked cheekily.

She lay beside him in the bed and began to kiss him. She kissed all the way down to his throbbing organ, then took it into her mouth and began to gently lick and suckle it. His moans of appreciation stoked her desire, and she began to pleasure him even more enthusiastically.

When she could sense that he was close, she lay in bed beside him, and he positioned himself between her legs and returned the favor. He had her writhing in ecstasy in almost no time. Quickly he moved to where they were face-to-face and entered her. They moved together frantically, both of them reaching release a very short time later.

He rolled off her and waited for his breathing to return to normal. She lay her head on his chest and listened to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. He held her close, feeling her hair tickle underneath his chin.

"Thanks," he said. "I needed that."

"I needed it to," she told him.

They both knew that no matter what obstacles they faced in the future, they would always have one another.


End file.
